Pre-Smiths Morrissey Letters Head to Auction with £22,000 Estimate

An archive of letters written by a teenage Steven Morrissey between 1974 and 1979, before he formed The Smiths, will be auctioned by Dawsons Auctioneers in London on 26 August. The correspondence, addressed to Birmingham pen friend Simon Pitt (later the city's poet laureate), is expected to fetch a combined £22,000. In the letters, Morrissey declares his ambition to be a rock 'n' roll star, actor, or writer; calls himself a genius; and offers candid opinions on The Sex Pistols after seeing them at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976. He also recounts meeting Patti Smith, Johnny Thunders, and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls (whose UK fan club he presided over), visiting New York punk club CBGB's, attempting to join The Clash, and becoming vocalist with Manchester punk band The Nosebleeds. Political commentary appears, including a 1979 letter after Margaret Thatcher's election where Morrissey hopes the recipient voted Labour. The final letter reveals he joined a London band with a recording contract. Auctioneer Peter Mason highlighted Morrissey's humour and literary voice as striking features of the archive. The letters are offered as separate lots in the sale titled "Before The Smiths: The Morrissey Letters."